ISO/IEC 9834-8:2005 specifies the format and generation rules that enable users to produce 128-bit identifiers that are either guaranteed or have a high probability of being globally unique.

The UUIDs generated in conformance with ISO/IEC 9834-8:2005 are suitable either for transient use, with generation of a new UUID every 100 nanoseconds, or as persistent identifiers.

ISO/IEC 9834-8:2005 is derived from earlier non-standard specifications of UUIDs and their generation, and is technically identical to those earlier specifications. It specifies the procedures for the operation of a Web-based Registration Authority for UUIDs.

ISO/IEC 9834-8:2005 also specifies and allows the use of UUIDs (registered or not registered) as OID components under the arc {joint-iso-itu-t uuid(25)}. This enables users to generate OIDs without any registration procedures. It also specifies and allows the use of UUIDs (registered or not registered) to form a URN.